Happy Birthday!
by Nankinmai
Summary: A year has gone by and now it's time for Kagome's 16th birthday. She has plans already set up and already to go, but somebody stops her. And wait, Inuyasha doesn't know what a birthday is? And what happens after Inuyasha finds out?
1. What's a Birthday?

Disclaimer: I don't and will not ever own Inuyasha. However, I have been trying to buy the little Inuyasha figurine!!! Only saw Miroku last time... *sniff* Come to think about it, I did see Inuyasha once, but I didn't have my money at that time!!! Waahhh!!!!!!!   
  
A/N 1: Alright, I don't really know when their birthdays are, but from the background in the first manga, it looked like Kagome's was around the autumn, since there's were a lot of leaves falling drawn. However, with the idea I came up with, I decided to ignore the manga and just use the seasons that I want! Muahahaha!!! XD  
  
A/N 2: This is my first fanfic! So please be gentle with me... I suppose this story may be placed almost anywhere along the story line that seemed like a year has already passed. Anyway, I just got the urge to write my own fanfic after reading about more than 40 fanfics total, and most of them still aren't completed yet, so I'm still waiting for those. (Yes, my brain is filled with too much Inuyasha information.) Till then, I'll try on this one and give me as much reviews as possible!!!   
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 1 - What's a birthday?  
  
Kagome slowly watched the beautiful early summer sunset disappear first behind Inuyasha's head before finally disappearing among the tall trees. The wet grass underneath her shoe lost its beautiful glisten from the recent rain. She knew the others were back at Kaeda's hut, avoiding a possible soon-to-be-irriated hanyou. She sighed as she was listening to Inuyasha ranting on... About what?  
  
"How can you already be going back after such a short period of time!?!" shouted Inuyasha, blocking Kagome's path towards the well. Taking a deep breath and counting to ten, she responded back even louder than Inuyasha.  
  
"I already told you! Tomorrow is Monday and I have an English test to take!"  
  
"Do you love these tests so much? Are you willing to marry it???" Inuyasha shouted, not noticing the vein near Kagome's temple was about to pop.  
  
"Who in the right mind would want to marry any tests at all!?! And besides, I have a family celebration afterwards for my birthday!" screamed Kagome, getting ready to use the magic word if Inuyasha was going to counter again. However, what he said next made her face go blank, all of her previous anger completely gone.  
  
"What's a birthday?" asked Inuyasha, with his face all scrunched up, as if in serious thought.  
  
"Y-you don't know what a b-birthday is?" Kagome could only stare while blinking at Inuyasha a few times, in complete disbelief.  
  
"Keh, would I asked if i knew?"  
  
"How should I explain this? Inuyasha, why don't you first sit-" *splat* "-down first... Opps."  
  
"Blech. Stupid wrench. Why did you do that for?" mumbled Inuyasha, as soon as he could lift his head and spit out all the mud.  
  
"Gomen! I'm so sorry, Inuyasha! Daijoubu? I didn't mean that. Guess I kind of forgot about it-"  
  
"How can one forget such a thing!?!"  
  
"Easy! Just like you had already forgotten about what we were talking about."  
  
"..."  
  
"See what I mean?"  
  
"Fine, wench. Now what were we talking about?" Inuyasha was finally able to sit up straight on the wet grass. Although now that he was pretty dirty from being sat, he didn't seem to mind the extra mud on his pants. 'He seriously need a bath now,' thought Kagome.  
  
"Oh, you asked me what a birthday is."  
  
"So what is it?"  
  
"Uhh, a birthday is the day that you were born. I suppose in my time, almost everybody's birthday is celebrated every year, to mark the significance of one's birth."  
  
"How are birthdays celebrated?"   
  
"Err... There are many ways of celebrating. The way my family does it is to have a special family dinner, followed by a cake, and finally the opening of presents by the birthday person."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Anou, Inuyasha. Do you know when your birthday is?" asked Kagome, tilting her head a little bit.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"What? I can't ask now?"  
  
"I didn't say that. I remember my mother mentioning once that the day I was born she saw the first sakura fall from its branch."  
  
"Hmm, guess it's already passed then. Summer is already starting."  
  
"Keh, who cares?" Inuyasha stood up, turned around and crossed his arms to stare at the full moon. 'It's already getting late,' thought Inuyasha.  
  
"Well, I do." The hanyou stiffened at Kagome's response. That wasn't the answer he had expected.  
  
"I know! How about we celebrate my birthday along with yours? It may be a bit late, but like they say, 'better late than never.' " Kagome had all but shouted out her lungs, unable to contain her excitement. Inuyasha simply stared at her and thought, 'She must have lost her mind somehow... Although it would be interesting to see how birthdays are celebrated, and she said that we could do mine's too. Waitaminute, didn't she said something about presents? Oh, kuso. Like I'd know what to get her...'  
  
"Hey, are you listening to me? I said, what do you think about that idea?" Kagome looked curiously at the hanyou.  
  
"Keh, I don't care. Do whatever you like," Inuyasha replied, turning his head away from the miko. Kagome smiled at his reaction. 'That's as good as a yes I'll ever get.'  
  
"Alright, then stop blocking my way and let's go!" Kagome was about to walk around the sitting Inuyasha until he suddenly stood up and grabbed her hand. She was completely shock at this action and allowed herself to be pulled towards the well.   
  
"Hey, are you ready yourself?" Kagome snapped out of her daze at Inuyasha's question. Then she look straight into the golden eyes before nodding and said, "Hai." The moon silently watched the couple jumped into the well and disappeared, not knowing that it'll see them again in 500 years into the future.   
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~ ^_^ ~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms:  
  
Hanyou - Half-demon  
  
Gomen - Sorry  
  
Daijoubu - Are you alright  
  
Anou - Say/well/err...  
  
Sakura - Cherry blossom  
  
Kuso - Shit  
  
Hai - Yes (lol, 'hai' is also high, ash, actor, lung and wear/put on (sword)!!! But they have different characters, or at least the Kanji characters...)  
  
A/N: Arigato for reading!!! Now remember to review and tell me what you think!!! I'm writing as I go along, so all comments will be taken in and considered. It'll help as I already have somewhat of a plot planned out, or at least for the next few chapters. Oh, and tell me if either of them seem OOC. If they are, then I guess reading all those fanfics had a bigger effect on me than all the manga or anime combined.  
  
[Hello. You have reached Nankinmai's voicemail, I mean review board. Please leave your review and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Simply click on the little link below. Thank you for your time. BEEP!] 


	2. I Don't Want To!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but do you think Rumiko Takahashi is willing to adopt me??? ^_^;  
  
A/N: Alright, somebody define fluff for me. I haven't seen the word around enough to completely know what it is, but I have a feeling of what it might be. So somebody just tell me so I'll know for sure, alright?   
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 2 - I Don't Want To!  
  
A surge of mystical power was surrounding the couple after they had jumped into the well. After they'd no longer felt the power, the miko started to climb out of the well until the hanyou picked her up. Kagome simply kept on blushing well after Inuyasha had jumped out of the well and placed her back on the ground. As they walked out of the mini-shrine and towards the house, Inuyasha hated the fact that the full moon was out, but was glad that Kagome seemed to be interested in the ground all of a sudden since he started blushing himself once he realized his earlier actions.  
  
As soon as Kagome opened to door to her house, she was greeted by her grandfather along with a "Oh, Kagome, you're back! That's great, because I have this new-"  
  
"Nee-chan! You brought Inuyasha-nii-chan with you!" shouted the excited Souta, interupting the old man as he sped down the stairs. "Can he-"  
  
"Kagome, dinner is already over, but you may heat some up. Although, it may be better if the two of you take a bath first," suggested Ms. Higurashi as she noticed the mud prints that Inuyasha seemed to have left behind him. "A bath is already drawn, so you may go ahead."   
  
The couple could only stare as the family bombarded them earlier with their comments and sweatdropped as they went back to whatever they were doing as quickly as they had appeared beforehand. That is, all except for Souta, who only kept on staring at the hanyou.   
  
"Um, Inuyasha, maybe you should go take a bath first," suggested Kagome, noticing Souta's gaze.  
  
"Wha? Nuh-uh. Last time you had me take a bath in this house, my skin was almost cooked from that hot water!" shouted Inuyasha, while crossing his arms as a sign of the bath refusal.  
  
"But you're covered with dirt from head to toe so you need to take a bath."  
  
"Gee, I wonder whose fault it was that I got this way."  
  
"Eh heh... Nani? Do you need me to wash you instead!?" Kagome retorted while putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"Urk... Like I need a woman to clean myself. Keh!" Inuyasha turned his head away from Kagome. 'Bet that perverted monk would love it though,' thought both Inuyasha and Kagome.  
  
"Anou, Inuyasha-nii-chan. I can take a bath with you..." Souta piped up, wanting to stop the fight in front of him.  
  
"Hey kid, it was because I took a bath with you last time that I almost burnt my skin off-"  
  
"Inuyasha! Osuwari!" *thud* "Don't be so rude to Souta. And how did you get from cooking your skin to burning your skin off?"  
  
"Stupid, wench. You know what I mean."  
  
Mrs. Higurashi suddenly pop her head into the foyer, smiled and said, "Inuyasha. I would appretiate it if you don't call my daughter that word. If you do, I can make sure those cute ears of yours will never twitch again. Now go ahead and take your bath. The water isn't as hot as you make it seem." And with that, she left, leaving the frightened trio, only Inuyasha had a stronger look of fear on his face.   
  
"K-kagome?"  
  
"H-hai?"  
  
"Is your mother always like this?"  
  
"No, this is the first time I've seen Mama like this. But then again, this is the first time someone with an attitude like yours came to our house."  
  
"Keh!" However, Souta noticed that as Inuyasha stood up, the hanyou's legs seemed to be trembling a little bit. 'I'd be scared too but if I was threatened to have my ears chopped off, especially by someone like my mother,' thought Souta. [Yes, maybe a bit OOC for Inuyasha, but couldn't help it! Uh-oh, angry Inuyasha fans... *flees, leaving behind a cloud of dust for the angry mob.*]  
  
"Come, Inuyasha-nii-chan. Let's go take our baths now," said Souta, dragging the hanyou along, not putting much of a resistance. Kagome watched the boys disappear down the hallway and started giggling as soon as she heard the doors close. 'That's the first time Inuyasha was frightened by a mere human... I wonder if I should invite him over more often...' thought Kagome, as she walked towards her own room to find a change of clothes. That is until she heard shouts from the bathroom.  
  
"That's freezing cold!"  
  
"That's what I told you!"  
  
"No, you didn't!"  
  
"And we still need to wash the dirt out of your hair!"  
  
"Not with that cold water you're not."  
  
"Fine, here."  
  
"Now that's freaking hot!"  
  
"Nee-chan! I need some help!"  
  
"Osuwari!!!"  
  
*thud*  
  
"Arigato, nee-chan!"  
  
"Wench."  
  
"Inuyasha, what did you call my daughter?"  
  
"Urk... Uh... nothing at all."  
  
"Alright, then. And Souta, you better make the water warm for Inuyasha."  
  
"Hai!" The only sounds left over were Inuyasha' incoherent mumblings and water being poured.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (see earlier chapters for other terms)  
  
Miko - priestess  
  
Nee-chan - elder sister (informal)  
  
Nii-chan - elder brother (informal)  
  
Nani - what  
  
Osuwari - sit  
  
Arigato - thank you  
  
AN: Muahahahah! Yes, I'm ending it here. Gotta catch up on my readings for class first. From the looks of things, I might have another chappie up in about two days or so, so don't go away!!! Uh-oh, that mob is coming back. Err.. *looks to the left* Uhh... *looks to the right* Kuso... I'm dead... HELP!!!  
  
daniel-gundam: LOL! What do you know! I did get the season i wanted! I was only skiming through the 1st episode to check the background; guess I should have just watched the whole thing again... Oh well... Also, I don't have the 3rd manga... *sniff*  
  
Menchi-Pie: "Await" isn't weird. It works in the sentence anyway. Although, let's see if you think Inuyasha is OOC in this chapter... ^_^;  
  
Erica: Yeah, I haven't read any other fanfics that was birthday related and noticed a lot of Christmas ones. Also, I had several friends whose birthdays are coming up, so yeah, idea came from that... And with romance, doesn't fluff usually come with it? Oh and, none of my friends are really into fanfics like I am, so everything here is from me and me only, including double checking the grammar... *sigh*  
  
Bunny: Yes, this is my first Inuyasha fanfic, although not my first at story writing (mostly original). But most of the earlier works were incomplete, cause they usually starts to suck halfway through so I'd just stop. I've been meaning to read "Over the Edge", but I'll have to wait till I get my essay done and over with... I hate essays...  
  
burnsybabe: Simply a huge fan or are you going to claim to be the #1 fan?   
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Nankinmai - *limps in with a leg cast and neck brace* Well, you can tell that I wasn't able to escape from that mob. I was never the athletic type anyway.  
  
Inuyasha - Keh! Serves you right for making my legs tremble!  
  
Nankinmai - *angelic face* But I have no control over you...  
  
Inuyasha - Stop lying, wench.  
  
Nankinmai - Then stop being a baka yarou.  
  
Inuyasha - Then stop being a darashinai.  
  
Nankinmai - Then stop being a hentai.  
  
Inuyasha - Don't you dare call me that!  
  
Nankinmai - Then you shouldn't have call me a-  
  
*shouting continues in the backgroud*  
  
Kagome - This is going to take forever. If you want to know what some of the Japanese terms are above, you may go to since Nankinmai seems to be distracted at the moment. Although, I don't think you'll find "baka yarou" so I'll just tell you... It's.. er... "stupid jerk." Ja ne!  
  
Nankinmai - Dog turd!!!  
  
Inuyasha - I said don't call me that!!! 


	3. Good Night

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I can pretend I do, right???  
  
A/N: Alright, now somebody define lemon, lime, and grapefruit. (You're just getting me curious.) I know what's lemon and lime, but never the difference between the two. Now, grapefruit is completely new to me... Welcome to the world of fanfics... *sigh*  
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 3 - Good Night  
  
Kagome was laying on her stomach on top of her bed, reading the last of Maison Ikkoku. She sighed as she closed the manga. 'I wonder if that kind of ending will happen to me,' thought Kagome. Suddenly, she heard the bathroom door open and a few footsteps walking towards it.  
  
"Oh my. It seems like it was a good idea to keep that extra set of sweats after all," said Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"This haori feels weird," stated Inuyasha, tugging at the sweatpants.  
  
"It'll simply takes some time to get use to it. Kagome! You may take your bath now!" Mrs. Higurashi said loud enough to be reached down the hallway.  
  
"Hai!" responded Kagome. She put away her manga, grabbed her clothes and walked out of her room. However, she stopped as Inuyasha came into he view. 'Even in sweats, he looks pretty good,' she thought.  
  
"Nee-chan, daijoubu? You're face is turning red," interupted Souta.  
  
"Eh? Oh, it's nothing," Kagome responded as she quickened her pace towards the bathroom and slammed the door shut as soon as she was inside.  
  
"Come, Inuyasha. We'll wait till Kagome is finished with her bath before we heat any food up. In the meantime, we need to set up a futon in Souta's room for you to sleep in," said Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"Keh, I'd rather sleep in a tree." replied Inuyasha, doing his usual stance.  
  
"But the rain is coming back with a slight thunder storm." As if on cue, there was a flash of bright light from the windows and a loud roll of thunder came several seconds later.   
  
"Boy, the weather did change pretty fast," Souta piped up. Inuyasha thought, 'Yeah, it did. Should I risked getting soak wet and struck by lightning, or have a nice warm room with a hyperactive kid? Stand up to the storm like a man, but alone? Or act like Myouga, but be close enough to-'  
  
"Fine. Where's your room, kid?"  
  
(Alright, alright... OOC, right? But come now, what's the point of Inuyasha sleeping in that storm, even if its for his pride? Boring... *yawns*)  
  
Half an hour later, Kagome opened the door and walked out of the bathroom, wearing her favorite PJs. She heard loud shouts coming from down the hallway, so she decided to check out what was going on in Souta's room. When she opened the door, she could only gape at what she saw. There was Souta, hopping on his bed while shouting at the hanyou. Inuyasha himself was shouting back at Souta, sitting on the futon that was next to Souta's bed. His eyes were practically glued to the television screen that was across the room, his hands holding onto a video game controller while his thumbs were jumping about the control pad. Kagome didn't know how to react as the boys got more and more excited. However, suddenly...  
  
"Kuso!" swore Inuyasha while Souta went, "Noooo!!!!!" Kagome sweatdropped at this and thought, 'Boys really do get too excited about video games."  
  
"Kagome! Inuyasha! Your food is heated up already!" Mrs. Higurashi shouted from the kitchen.  
  
"Arigato, Mama!" replied Kagome, while dragging a reluctant Inuyasha out of Souta's room. They went down to the kitchen to the smell of curry.  
  
"Oh no, I had that last time also. It burnt my tongue! What are you guys trying to do, relive every single horrific details for me?" inquired Inuyasha. Kagome had to take a deep breathe before responding.  
  
"Iie, Inuyasha. We're not trying to recreate your version of hell. And besides, Mama took the time to heat up the curry and she even cleaned up the mess you made earlier!" Inuyasha looked around and finally noticed the lack of mud prints.  
  
"Keh! I'm still not eating that, wen-"  
  
"Hmm?" interupted Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"Urk... Nevermind."  
  
"Inuyasha, all you have to do is wait for the curry to cool down a bit. It's really not as hot as it seems, just like the bath," Mrs. Higurashi said with a smiling face. 'Damn, Kagome's mother is even scarier when she's smiling,' thought Inuyasha. Meanwhile, Kagome grabbed two plates, filled both half with rice and pour some curry over them. She also grabbed two spoons before walking to the dining table and placed them down.   
  
"Come on, Inuyasha. Just give it one more chance," said Kagome, as she sat down in her seat. Hesitating a bit, the hanyou finally sat down in front of the other plate of curry rice. He slowly scooped up a spoonful of the food and brought it to his open mouth.   
  
"Hey, it's not that hot."  
  
"Didn't I tell you that?"  
  
"Although, I still prefer that other stuff."  
  
"What are you talking about?" inquired Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"That stuff that Kagome usually brings to my time." Both mother and daughter sweatdropped at this.  
  
"You mean ramen?" asked the older Higurashi.  
  
"Yeah! That's it! You wouldn't happen to have any right now, would you?" Inuyasha asked, about to dump the food in front of him away as soon as he can hear a 'yes'.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid we ran out yesterday." Inuyasha's ears droop at this. Feeling pity for the hanyou, Mrs. Higurashi said, "But I was planning to go shopping tomorrow anyway. So you can have some then." At this, Inuyasha perked up and quickly stuff the curry rice down, wanting the next day to come as soon as possible. Kagome giggled at the reaction in front of her.  
  
When the two were finished, Kagome washed the dishes while Inuyasha went back to Souta's room. It wasn't long before shouts could be heard from both the boys. After she was done, she walked back to her room. Upon passing Souta's, she could hear another "Kuso!" as well as several other colorful words. 'Guess tonight isn't Inuyasha's night to be playing video games,' thought Kagome.  
  
After Inuyasha swore as much as he could, he realized that Kagome had gone back to her room. Much to the disappointment of Souta, the hanyou got up and left the room, straight into Kagome's. He found her sitting by her desk, her head bending over a huge "spellbook". Kagome heard him and looked up.  
  
"Is there something you wanted, Inuyasha?"  
  
"You have to study for your test tomorrow, right?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Keh, then go back to studying." And with that, he walked back to Souta's room, much to the kid's delight. They continued to play until Souta feel asleep on the edge of his bed. Getting up, it took Inuyasha a while to figure out how to turn off the damn contraption. When he finally got it done, he placed Souta properly into bed and pulled up the covers. Then as quietly as he could, he walked back to Kagome's room, only to find her asleep as well at her desk. Inuyasha muttered something that sounded like "Baka" and walked over to pick her up gently. He repeated the process as he had done for her brother. Afterwards, Inuyasha simply stared at Kagome's sleeping face, as peaceful as it can be. Suddenly, he heard the miko mumbled something in her sleep. Inuyasha leaned just a little closer, trying to hear what she was saying.  
  
"Inuyasha..." Inuyasha started to grin at this.  
  
"Osuwari..." *thud* The grin quickly turned into a scowl. 'Just what is she dreaming about?' thought Inuyasha. As soon as he could get up, he started to walk out of the room. The last thing he heard before softly closing the door was, "Please be careful..."  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
Haori - the red clothing Inuyasha wears (I think)  
  
Iie - no  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: Yeah! This chappie is just a bit longer than the first two chappies, so I hope everybody enjoys it. Oh yeah, before I forget, does anybody know if there's any official names for Kagome's three friends? I know lots of people has simply made some up, but I don't really want to do that if I can. *sigh* Only two reviews for Ch. 2. Guess I won't post this up till really late at night or the next morning... Gomen!  
  
Chris-Redfield26 - Thanks for stopping by. Haha, make sure to draw your own bath from now on!  
  
Bunny - Gimme some time! I'm still in the middle of reading yours! XD (If the story is already way ahead, I usually wait till the last chapter and then submit an extra long review... It's easier for me!)  
  
Nankinmai - *evil grin*  
Inuyasha - Do I want to know what you're grinning about?  
Nankinmai - I don't think so. I don't want you to beat me up just yet.  
Inuyasha - You better tell me what it is now, wench...  
Nankinmai - Uh oh... Umm... Uh... There's Kouga!  
Inuyasha - Where!?!  
Nankinmai - *flees*  
Inuyasha - ... Come back here bitch! *starts chasing*  
Kouga - *lands on Inuyasha's face* Oi, pup!  
Nankinmai - *giggles* See? I was right!  
Inuyasha - #^@!*#^*%!!!!!!!!!  
Nankinmai - *gasps* How do you have such a potty mouth???  
Kouga - You're right. We better wash it out. *grabs a bar of soap and stuffs it into Inuyasha's mouth*  
Inuyasha - mmph!  
Nankinmai - Would you like to do the honor, Kouga?  
Kouga - My pleasure. *ahem* Ja ne! 


	4. Oh No! I'm Late!

Disclaimer: Alright! Alright! I don't own Inuyasha! Happy now!? Humph... Just kill my dreams, why don't you...  
  
A/N: Fine! I admit that I lagged with this chapter. So, sue me, why don't you!?! (Getting irritated with life... It's too cruel...) Also, somebody finally submitted the names of Kagome's three friends AFTER I had this chapter up, so I decided might as well make the changes while I'm at it... *sigh*  
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 4 - Oh No! I'm Late!  
  
Kagome moaned and pulled the covers over her head, trying to block out the bright sunlight. Vaguely, she tried to recalled the dream she had as she slowly drift back to sleep. 'The bed sure is nice,' thought Kagome, although she could have sworn that she fell asleep at her desk. Suddenly, she bolted right out of her bed and grabbed her alarm clock. It merely took her one glance for her to scream.  
  
"KYYAAAAAAAA!!!"  
  
Inuyasha heard the scream and recognized it as Kagome's. He scrambled out from under the covers and practically pulled the door off its hinges as he opened it. He took one step into the hallway before barely registering his brain that it was Kagome running towards him. As he was about to ask what the problem was, he got knocked into the wall and slumped down to the floor. Meanwhile, the miko didn't notice anything around her except the bathroom, since she was running really late.  
  
The hanyou could only stay on the floor as he watched Kagome enter the bathroom, exit it, run back to her bedroom (while nearing tripping over Inuyasha's legs), back out with her backpack, down the stairs, heard her yell out "I'm leaving!" and the door slammed shut. Inuyasha stayed that way until he felt somebody tweaking on his ears. He looked up to see Mrs. Higurashi standing next to him, looking at him with a bright smile.  
  
"This kind of morning is expected every now and then," explained Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"Uh huh..." replied Inuyasha. His brain definitely wasn't functioning this morning.  
  
"How would you like to come with me while I go shopping? I'm sure you would like to get Kagome a present while we're at it." suggested the elder. 'That's right. I have nothing to give Kagome,' thought Inuyasha.  
  
"But I don't have any of your currency to purchase anything."  
  
"That's alright. We'll figure something out. Now come, get up and get dressed. We'll be leaving soon." Mrs. Higurashi walked back down the stairs as Inuyasha took his time to walk back to Souta's room. That was when he finally noticed that Souta wasn't in his bed or in the house either. 'Damn, how was that brat able to get pass me without me noticing...'  
  
Three hours later found Mrs. Higurashi walking out of a market and down the street. Not far behind her was a hanyou wearing his usual haori and a red cap to match. [Yes! Just like the anime! ^^] The people around them were staring at the sight, but not because of Inuyasha's strange clothing or the fact that he wasn't wearing any shoes. Every single one of them could only stare and wonder how that lean young man could carry so much stuff in his arms, for the boxes he was holding were piled over his head and he was still holding onto at least fours bags of groceries in each hand. A mere human would be stumbling along till the weight finally brought him down to the ground. This young man looked as if he was only carrying a single book in his hands. Although it wasn't surprising that his view was blocked from the boxes, for he soon bumped into a mailbox, but the crowd grew even more shock that this boy could have such a good balance, for he didn't even fell onto his behind nor drop anything. Just who was this boy?   
  
Inuyasha was getting irritated at all the staring. He glanced upward to make sure his cap was still on, so he knew they couldn't be staring at his ears. Was it his clothing? He didn't step on something, did he? 'Too bad I can't check my feet right now...' He took a quick sniff and noticed that Mrs. Higurashi walked into a store just up ahead. As he walked in after her, he felt relieved that he would no longer be stared at...  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
"Come on, Kagome! It's lunch time!"  
  
Kagome sighed and felt horribly depressed. 'That English test was harder than I thought... I wished I could have studied more last night instead of falling asleep...'  
  
"Oi, Kagome! Are you coming or not!?"  
  
"Hai, hai." The miko slowly got up and walked out of the classroom. As she approached her three friends, a certain somebody got to her first.  
  
"Otanjoubiomedetougozaimasu, Kagome!" exclaimed Hojo as soon as he was right next to her.  
  
"Arigato," said Kagome, as she accepted the present that Hojo handed to her. She opened it to find several packages of herbal medicine. Confused, she looked up to Hojo.  
  
"I heard that the last time you were ill, you had some kind of jungle fever. I had my great uncle prescribed you some of these medicine in case you get it again." Kagome and her friends could only sweat drop. Kagome thought, 'Grandpa, WHY in the world would I be getting jungle fever of all things... Then again, one of the sicknesses he used last time was gout..." Meanwhile, her friends were whispering with each other. "Wasn't she supposed to be in the hospital testing for possible cancer at that time?" "I thought it was the mysterious rash again." "I was told that it was malaria." Unfortunately, they didn't whisper softly enough and Kagome could only sweat drop even more.  
  
"Anyway, I'll see you later, Kagome! Have a good lunch now, okay?" Hojo said as he waved goodbye. They watched him walked towards his friends at the end of the hall. [Yes, he has friends... =P]  
  
"Eh heh heh... Hai," Kagome weakly replied. 'My birthday isn't turning out to be the way I wanted...'  
  
Wanting to switch topics, Yuka asked, "So Kagome, what do you have planned for your birthday today?"  
  
"Eh? Well, when school's out, I have to head straight back home. We're having our usual family dinner." 'Well, not usual. Since Inuyasha's going to be there this time,' thought Kagome.  
  
"Then how about we hang out for a bit after school to celebrate your birthday?" suggested Eri.  
  
"Yeah! You have the same family dinner every year. Let's go have some fun before you go home!" said the excited Ayame.  
  
"Saa... I'm not so sure about that..." said Kagome, while thinking, 'I don't want Inuyasha to get irritated about me being late in coming home.'  
  
"Come on, Kagome. At least go window shopping with us for a short while," said Yuka.  
  
"Yeah! That would be so much fun!" Ayame yelled. [Okay, so I guess Ayame can be the curly hair girl... Right???] Kagome paused when she heard the word "shopping". 'That's right! I still have to get Inuyasha a present! Demo... I don't know what to get someone like him... Inuyasha's possessions merely consist of his clothing and his Tetsusaiga, so he doesn't really need anything else... Err... This sucks...'  
  
"Alright, I'll go with you guys for a short while," said Kagome.  
  
"Yeah! Let's go!" shouted Ayame.  
  
"Anou, Ayame. It's still lunch time, so school's not over yet," said Eri.  
  
"Opps. Heheh, gomen..." apologized Ayame.  
  
"But we do have to go to class now. Come on!" yelled Yuka, as she dragged the others towards class.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for others.)  
  
Oi - hey  
  
Otanjoubiomedetougozaimasu - Happy Birthday  
  
Saa - I don't know  
  
Demo - but  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: I've decided. Since I took so long with this chapter, I'll post the next one the very next day! How about that, eh? Aren't I just the nicest? XD  
  
I like to express "Thanks" to Hanyou-Girl25, Chickengirl, burnsybabe, and Viper for reviewing while expressing my "Love" to Bunny for being there all the way! (Alright, it hasn't been that long, but oh well...) Oh yeah, I wasn't even sure of myself about what Kagome was dreaming about in the last chapter. I forgot if it was the anime or another fanfic, but it popped into my mind with the "Osuwari" and I suppose the "Please be careful" is from all the times that Kagome would be worry whenever Inuyasha gets into a battle. But I'll try to incorporate it into the story somehow... In some way... =\  
  
Inuyasha - I can't believe you made Kagome push me into the wall!  
Nankinmai - I told you that you wouldn't like it...  
Inuyasha - Just who do you think I am, wench!?!  
Nankinmai - Could you please keep it down? -_-*  
Inuyasha - Not until you rewrite this chapter!  
Nankinami - Kagome, please...  
Kagome - Osuwari!  
Inuyasha - *thud*  
Nankinmai - Arigato. And please take him away...  
Kagome - *drags Inuyasha across the room* Minna-san, ja ne! 


	5. I Don't Know

Disclaimer: *whispers* Shh... The CIA just came by and warned me that if I don't admit that I don't own Inuyasha, I won't live to see another day. BUT I CAN'T DO IT! *bang!* *thud* *shuffles of several foot* *door slams* ... [Spirit of Nankinmai: See what I mean?]  
  
A/N: Yep, procrastination is always a good thing, but it will kill me one day... (Oh, a miko was able to revive me just now! ^_^)  
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 5 - I Don't Know...  
  
Mrs. Higurashi had just walked into a gift shop. She looked around a bit and thought, 'I think this should do.' Hearing a noise behind her, she turned to see Inuyasha putting down all the groceries onto the floor just next to the entryway. He stood up straight and looked curiously around him before facing Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"I've thought about it, Inuyasha. You have been a great help today, since I definitely wouldn't have been able to carry all those items," admitted the elder.  
  
"Keh!"  
  
"Anyway, I thought that I should probably pay you for helping out, and so you may use that money to buy Kagome her present. You can probably find one in here," said Mrs. Higurashi, while swiping her hand across the store. Inuyasha could only stare at the numerous number of *gulp* girly items, from plush animals as tall as himself to hair pins that looked like it had the head of a white cat on it.   
  
Meanwhile, a sales girl approaches them with a smile and asked, "Irasshaimase! Is there anything you would like some help in?"  
  
"Hai. This young man here needs some help picking out a birthday present," replied Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
The sales girl turned to Inuyasha and asked, "Is it for a girl?" Inuyasha blushed.  
  
"Is it for your girlfriend?" Mrs. Higurashi didn't think the hanyou could turn any redder, but was just proven wrong.  
  
"Is it for your fiancée?" "NO!" yelled Inuyasha, who only went into a deeper red. 'Wow, this is the first male customer to blush so much from that question,' thought the sales girl.  
  
"Is there anything in particular you might have in mind?" inquired the sales girl.  
  
"Iie."  
  
"Well, if you would follow me to the counter, I have a few items that might be perfect for your girlfriend."   
  
"She's not my girlfriend either!" yelled Inuyasha, as he and Mrs. Higurashi followed the sales girl. Mrs. Higurashi herself was trying her best not to laugh.  
  
"Oh? Gomen." Inuyasha was taken aback. 'Did she mean that she was sorry for her mistake or that Kagome wasn't my girlfriend?" thought Inuyasha. Soon, he was distracted from that thought as he was looking through the counter glass to see many necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings.  
  
"Oh my. There're so pretty," said Mrs. Higurashi.   
  
The sales girl noticed where Inuyasha's attention was and said, "If you're interested in those, we have these to attach to them."  
  
Inuyasha found what he was looking for. He pointed to it and said, "I want that one."  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~   
  
Kagome sighed as she followed her friends out of a gift shop. They had already been to half the gift shops that exist in the area. 'This is becoming hopeless,' thought Kagome.  
  
"So just what are you looking for, Kagome?" asked Eri.  
  
"A present for a friend."  
  
"Girl friend or boy friend?" asked Ayame. Kagome blushed when she heard "boyfriend".  
  
"Eh??" went all three friends.  
  
"Is this the same guy who two-timed you, dumped you, and then got back with you?" inquired Yuka.  
  
"..."  
  
"We'll take that as a yes."  
  
"How about a picture frame with you two?"   
  
"Don't have a picture of him..."  
  
"How about a scarf?"  
  
"It's already summer! It's going to be too hot for a scarf..."  
  
"How about some clothes?"  
  
"I don't know his size..."  
  
"Honto???" went all three again.  
  
"Why in the world would I know his size?"  
  
"Well..." However, none of them could think of an excuse, for they didn't want Kagome to know just what they were thinking. [Come now, they're teenagers!]  
  
"Oh! I know!" yelled Ayame, as she dragged Kagome with her down the street. Eri and Yuka merely stared at each other before running after their friends.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
Irasshaimase - welcome  
  
Honto - really  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: Yep, all of you readers should be really happy and irritated at the same time. Happy because I posted this chapter so early. Irritated because I didn't tell what they bought! =P  
  
I would like to express my gratitude to the following people for reviewing Ch. 4: WolfSapphire200 and Ame Tenshi (also thanks for the names!). Now where did Bunny disappear to???  
  
Inuyasha - What are you doing, wench?  
Nankinmai - My research paper…  
Kagome - Oh? When is it due?  
Nankinmai - Tomorrow…  
Inuyasha - Nani!? How long does it have to be?  
Nankinmai - 6 to 8 pages….  
Shippou - Anou, have you started on it yet?  
Nankinmai - Nope…  
Inuyasha - And why not, wench?  
Nankinmai - Because I was too busy…  
Inuyasha - Keh! More like procrastinating!  
Nankinmai - You're right…  
Inuyasha - Urk!  
Kouga - Cat's got your tongue, dog-turd?  
Inuyasha - Why in the hell are you here, wimpy-wolf!?  
Kouga - Why, I came to give Nankinmai my support.  
Inuyasha - That can't be all…  
Kouga - To keep my woman company, right Kagome?  
Kagome - Err…  
Inuyasha - Why you-  
Nankinmai - Alright! That's it! Leave me alone!  
Inuyasha - Make me!  
Nankinmai - Grr… *kicks Inuyasha into the air* Anybody else?  
Everybody else - Nope! Ja ne! *runs away*  
Nankinmai - *sigh* I have a long night to go… 


	6. Family Dinner

Disclaimer: Alright, my brain isn't working anymore after I turned in my first paper and just finished my second paper. So I'll just simply say it: I don't own Inuyasha.  
  
A/N: In case you haven't noticed by now, within the story itself, these (…) are part of the story while […] are my comments! ^^   
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 6 - Family Dinner  
  
Kagome walked slowly up the shrine steps, completely aware of Inuyasha's present that was hidden in her backpack. She started to wonder how did such a thing happen to her.   
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~ Flashback starts ~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Ayame had dragged Kagome into a store down the street and the rest of them followed in pursuit. They walked into the store with Kagome still being dragged. They stopped in front of a tall shelf at the other end of the store. Kagome could only stare and was finally able to mutter, "Anou..."   
  
Ayame asks, "So what do you think?" Kagome could only blush. After a while, she asked, "Why that?"  
  
As Ayame explained, Kagome blushed and Eri and Yuka giggled.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~ Flashback ends ~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Kagome reached her house and opened the door. As she walked inside, she announced, "I'm home!" Inuyasha suddenly popped into her view, startling Kagome.  
  
"Where have you been!? You were suppose to be back over an hour ago!" exclaimed Inuyasha.  
  
"Gomen. I was out with my friends," explained Kagome. Inuyasha stared at her for a while before walking into the kitchen. Kagome could hear some chopping noises, which she assumed was from her mother.   
  
As she walked up to her room, she thought about Inuyasha's actions just before. 'That sure was weird. I thought he would question me more about why I was late.' Shrugging the thought away, she entered her room and closed the door. She took out Inuyasha's gift and placed it on her bed. Then she combed through every inch of her room for a box and some wrapping paper. Luckily, she already had some tape and a pair of scissors in her desk drawer. Placing everything onto the floor, she carefully placed the gift within the box, closed it, and wrapped it beautifully. Admiring her work in her hands, she grinned. 'I really do hope Inuyasha likes this,' thought Kagome.  
  
Meanwhile, Inuyasha had walked into the kitchen where Mrs. Higurashi was. 'I hope Kagome didn't noticed her gift hidden within my haori,' thought Inuyasha. When Kagome had returned home late, he wanted to question her some more. However, he didn't want to risk having her noticing anything odd, so he let it go. The sales lady at the gift shop had wrapped the gift up for him, free of charge. Inuyasha was grateful, as he wasn't sure how to wrap it himself.  
  
Inuyasha unconsciously placed his hand over the lump in his haori as he entered the kitchen. Mrs. Higurashi noticed this when she turned around.  
  
"Don't worry. Kagome will love it," said Mrs. Higurashi. Inuyasha tried not to blush, but luckily Mrs. Higurashi had already turned back around and continued chopping.  
  
"Inuyasha, you can help Souta decorate the dining room if you're too restless." At this, Inuyasha said, "Keh!" but turned around anyway. He found Souta trying to tack the end of a streamer into the ceiling corner. Inuyasha said, "Keh!" again before going to help "the little brat". After they were done with all the decorating, Souta said, "Arigato, Inuyasha-nii-chan! Want to play some more games?"  
  
Inuyasha's ears twitched at this and Souta took that as a "yes". Grabbing onto Inuyasha's hands, he drag the hanyou into his bedroom and started setting up the game system. [Mind you, Inuyasha is getting addicted here so he doesn't mind being dragged… ^_~]  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
When Kagome heard footsteps walked towards her room, she panicked and tried to find a hiding place for Inuyasha's present. She had just shoved it underneath her bed when her mother opened the door. Relieved that it wasn't Inuyasha himself, Kagome sighed.  
  
"Did I interrupt something?" asked Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"Iie. I just thought it was Inuyasha that was coming," explained Kagome.  
  
"Oh? And why would you be worry about that?"  
  
"Eh?" Kagome tried to think of an excuse, but she couldn't help blushing when she saw her mother's smile.  
  
"Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know that dinner is ready and everybody is already down there."  
  
"Arigato, Mama." Kagome followed her mother out of her room and into the dining room.  
  
"Since it's your birthday, I'd thought that I'd make your-" However, Mrs. Higurashi was cut off when Kagome saw what was on the dining table.  
  
"It's Oden! Oden! Oden!" Kagome repeated it so many times that Inuyasha was starting to get irritated.  
  
"Kagome!"   
  
"Oden!"   
  
"Oi! Kagome!"  
  
"Oden! Oden!"  
  
"Young man, you won't get Kagome attention until she finishes her dinner," explained the grandfather.   
  
"Keh!" Inuyasha settled down as Kagome became to busy eating her favorite dish to repeat the words "Oden".   
  
"I hope nee-chan remembers to save some space for cake," said Souta.  
  
"Somehow, kid, I really doubt that," replied Inuyasha, as he silently watched Kagome staying in her own world of Oden.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
Oden - Japanese hodgepodge (a haphazard mixture; stew)  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: Alright, I know I'm killing my readers by not exposing the presents yet, although you have a pretty big clue as to what Inuyasha bought. Just wait till the next chapter. LOL, I really couldn't think of what to get for Inuyasha, and what I came up with might actually make this story longer than I had first intended. Not sure if this would be a good thing… I remember being irritated at one fanfic because there was so many new characters and events that pop out of nowhere in the story just to drag it along… =\  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Bunny: You came back!!! Yeah! ^^ Sorry about your computer though…  
  
Annalise: Here's what the dictionary has for 'kuso': feces, excrement, shit, and bullshit.  
  
Chris-Redfield26: I can never get sick of you! Just make sure you stay and keep reviewing!!! Oh yeah, if he gets socks, wouldn't it be better to get shoes instead… Then again, we don't know his size…  
  
Teenage Suzy: I've considered caps, but he could just borrow some like he did in Ch. 4 so there was no point there… =\  
  
Ame Tenshi: Yes! Procrastination is a good thing! Once again, I didn't start on my second essay until the day before it's due! But at least I had gotten my Calculus hw done before I started typing… (Oh yeah, you reviewed pretty fast! Right after I had the chapter posted! =O)  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~ (Yeah, just had to add more of them! ^_^;)  
  
Inuyasha - You do realize that you're irritating all your readers out there, right?  
Nankinmai - I am???  
Kagome - I'm afraid I agree with Inuyasha…  
Inuyasha - Afraid!? What do you mean by that, wench?!?  
Kagome - Inuyasha-  
Inuyasha - What bi-  
Nankinmai - Just say it, Kagome.  
Kagome - Osuwari!!!  
Inuyasha - *thud* That's it! Everybody leave now! Go on! You better not wait till I can get up!  
Nankinmai - Let's forget him… Ja ne! 


	7. Time for Presents!

Disclaimer: Guess what? I just blackmailed Viz for temporary rights to the manga and anime! Opps, here comes the CIA again. *flees* Fine! I don't own Inuyasha!!!!!!  
  
A/N: Alright, everybody out there will finally be happy! It's presents time! You'll get to find out what Kagome got for Inuyasha! Now turn your head to the left~~ XD  
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 7 - Time for Presents!  
  
Those at the table waited patiently in the dark. Dinner was already finished, the table was cleared, and Kagome's attention was no longer on Oden. Mrs. Higurashi had walked into the kitchen for the cake and Souta followed to help carry the utensils. Grandfather had gotten up to turn off the lights, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha sitting side by side.  
  
Soon, the young couple heard the family singing the Japanese version of the very popular "Happy Birthday" song of the Americas. Mrs. Higurashi walked back into the dining room with a beautiful cake in her hands, with 16 candles lit on top of the cake. She placed the cake in front of Kagome and Inuyasha as the family finishes the song. As Inuyasha wonders about this weird modern human ritual, Kagome urges him to blow the candles out with her after whispering, "Make a wish, Inuyasha!"  
  
As the two blew the candles out, the family clapped (which, once again, Inuyasha just thought was completely weird). After Souta turned the lights back on, the cake was sliced and served. As the hanyou contemplated the unique taste of the cake, Kagome asked him, "So how do you like it?"  
  
"It's good, but not as good as ramen."  
  
"Well, as long as you thought it was good!" The rest of the time was spent finishing off the cake in silence.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
After the table had been cleared for the second time that night, it was finally time to open presents. Mrs. Higurashi came forward first. She handed a wrapped box to Kagome and an envelope to Inuyasha. Kagome opened her gift to find a pale yellow summer dress. She gasped, stood up, and brought the dress in front of her. It was just above knee length and had printed tiny, yellow daisies scattered around the hem. Putting the dress down, she went over to her mother to hug her tightly. Mrs. Higurashi smiled brightly at this.  
  
Next was Inuyasha's turn to open up the envelope. He found a card inside and took it out. Aloud, he read, "Inuyasha, for your belated birthday present, I'm giving you five boxes of ramen that you helped carried today. From my calculations, I hoping that it will last you for a week." He put the card down and looked up to Mrs. Higurashi. Too embarrassed and having too much pride to do anything close to what Kagome did, Inuyasha gave the older women a nod and twitched his ears. Understanding his behavior, Mrs. Higurashi's smile grew brighter.  
  
Souta came forward next. He handed his sister and "brother" each their gift, both wrapped messily in newspaper. Kagome opened hers to find the newest manga of one of her favorite series. She went to hug her brother before Inuyasha opened his. Inuyasha looked curiously at Souta as he revealed to everybody that it was a baseball.  
  
"Since you liked games so much, you must like sports as well! Nee-chan was never one to play sports with me. So now, whenever you come over, we can play catch together!" explained Souta. Fortunately, he didn't notice everybody else's reactions to his explanation, which was mainly a whole lot of sweatdrops.   
  
"Err... Arigato, kid," said Inuyasha before Grandfather stepped up to the plate. [^_^;]  
  
"First, Kagome. This is for you," said Grandfather as he handed his granddaughter a weird shaped package. Kagome carefully opened it up to see a huge amulet the size of her hand.  
  
"That is a thousand year old amulet that's been said has been very successful in protecting its owner, " explained Grandfather. Inuyasha was about to say, "Hey, I'M the one who's going to be protecting her, not some amulet." However, Kagome stopped him and thanked her jii-chan.  
  
"Now young man, this is for you." Grandfather handed Inuyasha a small package. When he opened it, he found a small crystal-like ball hanging from a key chain.  
  
"That's is a Shikon no Tama. Not the real one like the one you're searching for, of course. But I was thinking that this should help you in your journey," Grandfather explained. Once again, Inuyasha was about to respond to the old man's explanations, when he saw the proud look on the old man's face. 'Might as well let this one go,' thought Inuyasha.  
  
With those presents done and over with, Inuyasha and Kagome gathered their stuff (except for the five boxes of ramen) and headed for Kagome's room. Once Inuyasha dropped his stuff on the ground and Kagome put hers away, they both sat on the floor and were silent for a short while. Finally, Kagome noticed Inuyasha reached slowly into his haori and pulled out a tiny box wrapped in a glittering silver paper with lavender ribbons. Kagome held her breath as she was handed the gift. Slowly, she unwrapped and opened the present. She gasped as she pulled out a silver chain necklace. As she examined the necklace carefully, she noticed a tiny silver pendant shaped like a dog's head with ears that were just like Inuyasha's.   
  
Clutching the necklace close to her heart, she gave a quick peck on Inuyasha's cheek. Happy at his startled reaction, she watched as he calmed down, reached for the necklace and helped her put it on. (The sales lady at showed him how it was done.) With one hand on the necklace around her neck, she leaned and reached for Inuyasha's present hidden underneath her bed and handed it to Inuyasha.   
  
Kagome watched Inuyasha carefully as he took his present out. Inwardly, she giggled as Inuyasha held out a pair of red swimming trunks and looked curiously at Kagome.  
  
"That is what you wear to swim in. This upcoming weekend I'm going to the beach with my friends and they wanted you to come along. Since you probably didn't have that, that's you're present to wear when we get to the beach!" explained Kagome with a wide grin. Inuyasha could only blankly stare at her while thinking, 'All I wear is this? What about Kagome? Will she be just as naked? Who are her friends? There won't be any boys there, would there!?!'  
  
Noticing Inuyasha's agitation, but unable to read his thoughts, Kagome asked, "Inuyasha, you don't like your present?"  
  
"Iie. Just thinking about the beach... Arigato, Kagome." Kagome smiled at this and waited patiently as Inuyasha exited her room and into Souta's. As Kagome got ready for bed, she looked down at the necklace around her necklace and smiled even more. Even the moon could tell that Kagome had very pleasant dreams that night, while Inuyasha dreamt of blinding every boy he saw at the beach.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
Jii-chan - grandfather (informal)  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: Is everybody happy??? You saw what they got for presents!!! ^^ Alright, this was where I initially planned to end the story, but with the present Inuyasha received, I have two choices. That is to either continue the story to the beach, or end it here and we'll have a sequel. Please review and tell me what you think!!!!!! (If the beach ends up being a sequel, I'll edit this chapter later on.)  
  
ATTENION READERS: Oh yeah, I'm posting this the very next morning, but the next chapter or sequel will take some time, because I want a certain number of opinions of what I should do. SO PLEASE REVIEW!!!!  
  
Apparently, posting the new chapter early in the morning gets you more reviews than any other time of the day... Or at least I think I do... Hmm... *evil grin*  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
burnsybabe - Thank you for the cuteness! They are cute, aren't they?  
  
Lunatic Pandora - You'd just have to wait one day... =\  
  
Vegito044 - Thank you for reviewing!  
  
Bunny - Laziness... *sigh* Yeah, I know the chapters aren't very long, but it allows me to post a new chapter regularly enough, so that's a good thing. Are you still frustrated after finding out what the presents are??? =D  
  
AngelicFairy - Are you happy with this chapter? I thought about boxers, but then you can't have any fun (that's appropriate) with it!  
  
Ms. Prongs - Alright, you win in the world of procrastination, but you could have delayed reading my story and focus only on your research paper. But thanks for reading!!!! (Do you still have your eye on me? Where???)  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Inuyasha - You're getting rid of me???  
  
Nankinmai - No! I just don't know whether to continue with this story, since the birthday theme is already used up, or to start a sequel where I can pick another theme to focus on...  
  
Kagome - You're not going to have me get into some trouble like all those other fanfics that involves the beach, are you???  
  
Nankinmai - I'm gonna try not to. Although, that's going to be a bit hard to do, you know?  
  
Inuyasha - No, I don't know...  
  
Nankinmai - Shaddup.  
  
Inuyasha - Make me wench!  
  
Nankinmai - Kagome?  
  
Kagome - Osuwari!  
  
Inuyasha - *thud* *grumbles*  
  
Kouga - Don't I get a say?  
  
Shippou - What about me?  
  
Nankinmai - Gomen. But I'm sticking with Kagome and Inuyasha being the only ones who can go through the well. So unless we're back in your time, you won't have much of role.  
  
Shippou - But why???  
  
Kouga - Damn you woman! I need to protect my woman!  
  
Nankinmai - Oh there... Things are getting a little out of hand... *turns to readers* Please review and give me your opinions about what to do next! Arigato!  
  
Sesshoumaru - And ja ne!  
  
Everybody else - Where did YOU come from?!?!?!? 


	8. Shouldn't Have Gone Back

Disclaimer: Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope! I will not deny it anymore! I own Inuya- *thud* *shuffles of feet* Hey! Come back with my body!!!  
  
A/N: Thank you, minna-san! For all your reviews and your opinions on what I should do! And I've decided! But I won't tell you what, you'll just have to see for yourself in due time! =P  
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 8 - Shouldn't have gone back  
  
Inuyasha was taking his sweet time walking towards the well. Once again, he had gotten an abrupt awakening, all thanks to Kagome. He started to think about what happened earlier.  
  
~*~~*~ Flashback starts ~*~~*~  
  
A hand could be seen dragging the covers over the owner's head. It was a few moments before the owner bolted out of her bed and grabbed her alarm clock.  
  
"KYYAAAAAAAA!!!"  
  
Inuyasha heard the scream and recognized it as Kagome's. Unfortunately for him, he had forgotten about what Mrs. Higurashi had told him yesterday about their mornings. He scrambled out from under the covers and was able to pull the door completely off its hinges this time. He took one step into the hallway and saw Kagome running towards him. Before he could even his mouth to speak, he got knocked into the wall and slumped down to the floor. Again. The miko was able noticed this time. She stopped and knelt down to the hanyou.  
  
"Daijoubu?" asked Kagome.  
  
"Aren't you late for school, wen-" However, Inuyasha couldn't finish what he was saying. First of all, because the moment Kagome heard "school", she rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Second, because Mrs. Higurashi seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and was standing right next to Inuyasha. The hanyou gulped down some air before lowering his head. The elder smiled, gave his ears a tweak and walked back downstairs.  
  
As Inuyasha continued to stay on the floor, he kept his head down while listening to Kagome run back into her room and was surprised when she suddenly stopped in front of him. At this, Inuyasha lifted his head to face Kagome.  
  
"Inuyasha, if you have nothing to do today, you can go back to your own time, you know. I know that there's nothing here for you to do and will most likely be bored. We have a few days before the beach trip, so go relax a bit!"   
  
Before the hanyou could respond, Kagome ran out the door, yelling "I'm leaving!"  
  
~*~~*~ Flashback ends ~*~~*~  
  
Inuyasha grumbled. After Kagome had left, he was finally able to get back up and noticed that the door was laying flat on the floor. He tried his best to put it back. The door was currently hanging loosely from its broken hinges. Inuyasha left the scene before a wind could easily blow the door back down.   
  
So here he was. Both Kagome and Souta are in school. Mrs. Higurashi had left the house to do some errands and the old man went to visit some of his old friends. With nobody around and nothing to do, he decided to take Kagome's advice. When he reached the well, he took one look down before jumping in.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Shippou sat at the edge of the clearing, patiently waiting for Kagome to come back. He knew that the usual three days weren't over yet, but he had nothing better to do. Since Inuyasha seemed to have disappeared, most likely to Kagome's time, he had nobody to pick on. When Sango wasn't busy practicing or riding around with Kirara, she was trying to fend off the monk. The monk seemed to have lost control of his hands, for the last time he saw him, he had a lot more lumps on his head than usual and his faced was slapped one too many times.  
  
Suddenly, the kitsune noticed a new smell coming from the well. However, he was disappointed at this.   
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Before Inuyasha started to jump out of the well, a sniff from his nose made him wish he hadn't come back. After one leap, he found himself facing a disappointed kitsune. Getting annoyed with the way he was being looked at, Inuyasha was about to say something but was beaten to it.  
  
"Where's Kagome?" asked Shippou.  
  
"In school," Inuyasha answered curtly.  
  
"Why didn't she come back?"  
  
"Why do you care so much??"  
  
"You made her mad again, didn't you?!?"  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
"Oh yeah? What about all those other times when you put you foot into your mouth?"  
  
"Oi! I never put my foot in my mouth!!!"  
  
"What's going on here?" interrupted Sango. She had been avoiding the monk when she heard shouting and came upon the scene.  
  
"Inuyasha made Kagome mad again and so he came back by himself," replied Shippou. The hanyou was about to retort, but was interrupted.  
  
"Is this true, Inuyasha?" inquired Miroku. Sango gasped upon hearing the lecher who had somehow appeared right behind her. Before she could turn around and question him, she felt his cursed hands and brought her Hiraikotsu upon his head.   
  
Inuyasha stared at the monk who was now lying unconscious on the grass. He noticed that there were already many more additional lumps already existing on his head. Giving Sango a questioning look who merely shrugged and asked, "Did Shippou speak the truth, Inuyasha?"  
  
"Of course it is!" yelled Shippou.  
  
"How could you do such a thing Inuyasha?! And on Kagome's birthday also?!?" Inuyasha was about to interrupt Sango when he heard "Kagome's birthday".  
  
"Oi. How did you know that it was her birthday? Or even what it was?" asked the curious hanyou.  
  
"Inuyasha-sama. It's been a while!" Inuyasha felt a tiny prick on his cheek before slapping it slightly. However, it was enough the squash the flea that was now slowly floating into his master's hands.  
  
"Miyoga-jiji. When did you appear?" asked Inuyasha, as he watched his retainer popped suddenly, full of air again.  
  
"I arrived right before you left with Kagome-sama. I overheard what the lady was saying about birthdays and so on," explained the flea. Meanwhile, Miroku had finally regain his consciousness and decided to speak up.  
  
"So Inuyasha, did you give Kagome-sama her birthday kiss?" Expecting denial, he was surprise when a tint of red was showing on the hanyou's face. 'That's right. Kagome had kissed me on the cheeks last night,' thought Inuyasha. He became oblivious of everybody's stares. That is, until he was snap out of it by a single word shouted in chorus.  
  
"NANI??????"  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
Hiraikotsu - Sango's weapon, a huge boomerang  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: It's been a while, hasn't it? I've been taking something of a break these past few days, waiting for reviews and thinking about them. Thank you, minna-san!!! Meanwhile, at the same time, I was getting frustrated. Why? Because of the lack of updates from my favorites authors. I was unwilling to read any more new fanfics since that would only make me more frustrated once I reach the latest chapter... *sigh*  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Kai19 - You're semi-forgiven. We'll see how your updates goes... But thanks for the picture! Maybe I should take your advice... Hmm...  
  
Chris-Redfield26 - You don't need to apologize, I understand. I do the same anyway! So what happened to the evil Naraku plushy?  
  
Ame Tenshi - And you don't need to apologize either... I completely understand. Just don't completely disappear from me either...  
  
Sam - You're going to have to see if you got what you wanted!  
  
Lindy*girl - What kind of waff are you hoping for?  
  
Strawberry-sama - Romance at the beach... I miss the beach... Never had the romance though... *sigh*  
  
AngelicFairy - I'm still thinking about his reaction... To kill or not to kill, that is the question...  
  
Ang - Thank you! You better come back now!  
  
EmeraldDragon - Hehe. ^^ Yes! Hojou will be there!!! Muahahahah!!!!!!  
  
Ms. Prongs - I feel sorry for your cousin. Hey! I want that IY cd! Gimme!!!  
  
Bunny - Arigato!!! ^^ I've considered his present being special, but being a hanyou during the feudal ages, where would he put it? I didn't want it to be a necklace (=P) and even thought about a little accessory to hang from the hilt of his sword. (Inuyasha - Too girly!) So I just settled with practical. But it's funnier this way, isn't it? Oh yeah, I figured something out without changing the title! *evil grin*  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Shippou - I made an appearance!  
  
Miroku - So did I!  
  
Sango - But what took so long?  
  
Nankinmai - Gomen! But you guys had some earlier, right?  
  
Shippou - Will we get to have some more fun with Inuyasha?  
  
Inuyasha - Oi! You better not, brat!  
  
Shippou - Nyah! (=P)  
  
Inuyasha - Why you little... (And the chase begins!)  
  
Kagome - How come I was only in the flashback?  
  
Nankinmai - Gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen...   
  
Sango - Anou...  
  
Nankinmai - Gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen...  
  
Miroku - I think she's been apologizing too much tonight.  
  
Nankinmai - Gomen, gomen...  
  
Shippou - *jumps onto Inuyasha's head and into the air* Ja ne! 


	9. It's Not What You Think!

Disclaimer: Fine, better say it before they take my body again... I don't own Inuyasha... Happy?  
  
A/N: Finals are in less than one week... Going to try to finish typing this story up before then... *sigh*  
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 9 - It's Not What You Think!  
  
Kagome slowly walked up the shrine steps. She tried to avoid the sunlight that was practically right above her. Unfortunately, she couldn't. 'Why do we have to go to school on Saturdays? Why couldn't our school system be like the Americas? Well, at least school on Saturdays don't extend beyond noon,' thought Kagome, as she finally reached the top of the stairs. She looked around for signs of Inuyasha before she realized that he hasn't been there this whole week. 'Guess I have to fetch him now.' [^_^;] After dropping off her school bag in her room, she headed back to the Feudal Ages.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Inuyasha was sitting on his branch on the Goshinboku. He had been trying to avoid his friends as much as possible the entire week, especially the little kitsune. He had considered going back to Kagome's time, but knew that he'd distract her from her studies. So he merely stayed outside as much as possible to avoid any ridicule.   
  
~*~~*~ Flashback starts ~*~~*~  
  
"You were actually able to give Kagome-sama her birthday kiss?" asked the monk, a little louder than he intended. It had taken him a while to get over the shock after seeing the hanyou's face.  
  
"Did you kiss her on the lips?" asked Shippou.  
  
"Inuyasha, did you really-" However, Inuyasha cut Sango off before she could finish.  
  
"Shaddup already!!!" shouted Inuyasha, at the top of his lungs. There was almost complete silence except for the birds trying to fly away as fast as they could from the forest.  
  
"So did you really?" Shippou piped up, but he only received a very deep and scary growl from the hanyou before he stalked away. The kitsune was hiding behind Miroku's head who was just as scared. There was silence that lasted for quite a while.  
  
"Meow." Everybody looked down at Kirara, who had just arrived. She was looking at everyone, with an apparent look of confusion on the youkai's face. Sango leaned down so that Kirara could jump onto her shoulders, then went to face the other two.  
  
"Would you guys like to wait for Kagome-chan to come back and find out what happened?" asked Sango.  
  
"Yeah!" shouted Shippou while Miroku merely smiled. They started to walk back towards the village while the hanyou in hiding continued to growl at hearing the ending of their conversation.  
  
~*~~*~ Flashback ends ~*~~*~  
  
Inuyasha's head popped up. 'That's right! I can't let Kagome face the others!' thought the hanyou. Before he could think of any plans, his nose caught a familiar scent in the air. At the same time, he could hear his friends walking closer towards the well's clearing. Acting fast, he jumped down from his tree and ran towards the well.  
  
Kagome was already out of the well by the time Inuyasha reached the clearing. He kept running until he stopped right in front of her.  
  
"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" asked a concerned Kagome.  
  
"Nothing. Let's go back right now."  
  
"But I just got here and I wanted to see minna."  
  
"But aren't we in a hurry for that trip?"  
  
"Seeing everybody won't be that long-" Kagome stopped when she heard the sounds of the rings on Miroku's staff getting closer and closer. 'Kuso,' thought Inuyasha. At this, the hanyou grabbed Kagome's hands and started walking towards the well.  
  
"Inuyasha, what are you doing? I wanted to see minna!" complained Kagome.  
  
"I told you we don't have time."  
  
"Let me go right now!"  
  
"Keh!"  
  
"Osuwari!" However, as Inuyasha hadn't let go of her hands, Kagome went down with him. Inuyasha was surprised to feel something soft hit his back after he faced his beloved ground. It was at that time that the group decided to make their entrance.  
  
"Kagome!" squealed Shippou. He was running halfway across the clearing before finally realizing what was in front of him. The two humans and three youkais were slowly taken in the sight in front of the well. There was Inuyasha, in the usual position after being sat. However, Kagome was on top of him this time. And to top it all off, they seemed to be holding hands. Silence overcame the group once again that week before Miroku spoke up.  
  
"Why, Kagome-sama. I didn't know you were like that," stated the monk. The miko tried to get up at that statement, but simply fell back on top of the hanyou. She suddenly realized that Inuyasha had also reacted to Miroku's statement, by tightening his grip on her hands. She tried to twist it out before giving up her futile efforts.  
  
"Inuyasha, will you let me go now so that I may stand up?" Inuyasha was shock and loosened his grip. 'I didn't even realized that,' thought Inuyasha. He sat up straight since the spell had seemed to work itself off already. He found Shippou in Kagome's arms and the rest were standing right in front of them.  
  
"Would you like to explain yourself?" Miroku asked the hanyou. At this, he did his usual "Keh!"  
  
"Daijoubu, Kagome-chan?" asked the concern Sango.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm fine."  
  
"Kagome! We think Inuyasha gave you a birthday kiss. Is that right?" asked Shippou. The group gave Kagome the same reaction as her faced redden.  
  
"NANI??????"  
  
"Iie! Iie! It's not what you think!" shouted Kagome, blushing more at the same time.  
  
"Of course not. Especially since it was YOU who did the kissing," said Inuyasha, directing his statement towards the miko but facing away from her.  
  
"EH??????"  
  
"Osuwari!!!"  
  
*thud*  
  
"What was that for!?!"  
  
"Bakayarou! It was a damn stupid peck on your cheek that meant nothing!"  
  
"Urk!"  
  
"That's it! I'm going back! Ja ne!" With that, she let Shippou jump back to the ground and make a quick turn to jump into the well. Inuyasha laid shock on the ground.  
  
"Wait!" Inuyasha jumped up from where he was and straight into the well.  
  
"Inuyasha-sama. You still have a lot to learn," said Miyoga from the top of Kirara's head. Everybody nodded in agreement as they ponder what was happening in the future.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
Minna - everybody   
  
Bakayarou - stupid jerk  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: *pouts* I didn't get as much reviews as usual... Why is that? Is it because I took a break over the weekend? Why? Why? *sigh* I'm three weeks behind on my readings and I have a presentation on those readings this week... Too much work...  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Ms. Prongs - I already said all I have to say in review for ch2 of your fanfic. Don't really feel like typing all that again... =\ Although, I think I prefer Every Heart by BoA...   
  
Isuki-chan - Thank you! Although, I still think they are OOC at times... Not exactly sure why though... Yeah! I'm in your favorites!!! =D  
  
Chris-Redfield26 - Aww, poor ferret... Poor sis also... Got an Inuyasha plushy for me???  
  
Ame Tenshi - Don't think so... Sorry!  
  
Higurashi Kagome - Your sis, eh? Alright... LOL! I don't think I can shut Inuyasha's mouth. I think I may have added some of my own personality in him; and mixed with his, that's a pretty bad combo...  
  
Lordofthefat - Thank you!!!  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Nankinmai - I feel really sleepy for some reason.  
  
Kagome - Daijoubu?  
  
Nankinmai - Hai.  
  
Inuyasha - Have you been getting enough sleep lately, wench?  
  
Nankinmai - Hai.  
  
Miroku - Have you been eating healthy lately?  
  
Nankinmai - Hai.  
  
Sango - Was there anything out of the ordinary recently?  
  
Nankinmai - Hai.  
  
Shippou - Anou...  
  
Nankinmai - Hai, hai, hai, hai, hai...  
  
*entire gang sweatdrops*  
  
Inuyasha - The wench did it again.  
  
Kagome - I wonder what's wrong with her?  
  
Shippou - Saa... Anyway, ja ne! 


	10. Time To Break It Down

Disclaimer: Running out of ideas again... Too much energy spent on story while brain is also filled up to capacity with useless info. Don't own Inuyasha and blah blah blah...  
  
A/N: Story is definitely turning out longer than I thought. Too bad I'm not getting as much reviews as I want... *sigh*   
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 10 - Time To Break It Down  
  
Kagome slammed the mini-shrine doors shut as soon as she steps out into the sunlight. She stomped all the way back to her house, with steam practically coming out of her ears. She tried not to slam the front doors too hard when she entered her house, but her anger had already gone beyond its limits.  
  
*Bang!* Everybody rushed to where Kagome was.  
  
"Kagome-"  
  
"Nee-chan-"  
  
"Kagome-"  
  
*BANG!* Everybody stood still where they were as Kagome entered her room, slamming the door even harder than she had with the front door.  
  
"Oi, Kagome!" The family stared as Inuyasha ran through the front door, not even bothering to close it behind him, which might have been a good thing, considering his strength. Inuyasha ran up to the miko's bedroom door and knocked on it several times.  
  
"Oi! Kagome! Open up this door!"  
  
"Iie! Why should I anyway?"  
  
"So I can... So I can..." But Inuyasha couldn't say what was on his mind. His pride was too strong. "Just open the door! Shimatta!"  
  
"Never!"  
  
"Open it up right now or I'll break this door down!"  
  
"You wouldn't dare!" At Kagome's response, Inuyasha turned to look at Mrs. Higurashi for her permission, who reluctantly nodded. After all, she didn't want her daughter to stay in her room forever. Inuyasha gave a smirk and turned back to face the door. Gently, he knocked once.  
  
"NANI!!" Noting the distance of her voice, he estimated that she was probably on her bed, as she wasn't making any noises physically for Inuyasha to use. The family braced themselves for the worse as they watch Inuyasha's smirk turned into an evil grin. He took one step back before knocking the door off its hinges.  
  
BANG! THUD! THUD!  
  
Everybody in the hallway turned at the second "thud" and found Souta's bedroom door lying on the floor.  
  
"How did that happen?" asked Mrs. Higurashi. Kagome gasped at her mother's voice and assumed that she was talking about her own door.   
  
"How could you do that, Inuyasha?" yelled Kagome.  
  
"Kagome, Inuyasha had my permission to knock down your door. I'm just not sure how Souta's door fell," said Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"Eh?" At that, Kagome rushed out of her room and past Inuyasha to stop in front of Souta's room, "How did this happen?"  
  
"I'm not quite sure," replied Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"An evil spirit must be in the house!" shouted Grandfather. At that, Kagome slowly turned her head to face Inuyasha.   
  
"Urk!"  
  
"In... U... Ya... Sha!!!"  
  
"Err... Ka-Kago-"  
  
"Osuwari!"  
  
*thud*  
  
"Not only did you knock my door down but Souta's as well?!?"  
  
"Souta's was an accident-"  
  
"And how do you plan to pay for that?"  
  
"Kagome, it's alright. Replacing the hinges doesn't cost too much. Besides, Souta's door was an accident and he had my permission with yours," explained Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
"Why?" asked Kagome, looking at her mother with disbelief.  
  
"Because I didn't want you to stay in your room forever like you said. Besides, your friends called earlier to say they're picking you and Inuyasha up in half an hour."  
  
"Nani? That's not enough time!"  
  
"You could have gotten an additional 15 minutes if you hadn't lock yourself up in your room."  
  
"I'll help you pack, nee-chan!" volunteered Souta.  
  
"Arigato." Kagome released most of her anger in surrender for the new task in hand and turned towards the hanyou. "Come on, Inuyasha. You need to pack too. "  
  
"Keh!" With that, all three started packing for the two, stepping over the fallen door in the process. The house became silent except for the shuffles of items being moved in Kagome's room and the sound of chopping in the kitchen.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~ [I could have stopped there, but I decided to be nice! ^^]  
  
HONK! HONK!  
  
"Hurry up, Inuyasha! Bye Mama! Bye Souta! Bye Jii-chan!" shouted Kagome from the top of the shrine steps.  
  
"Wait up, Kagome!" Inuyasha was having trouble trying to get through the front door with Kagome's unusually large backpack.   
  
"I told you to hurry up!"   
  
"How do you expect me to hurry up when you have me carrying everything? This is heavier than your usual pack!" shouted Inuyasha, finally reaching where Kagome was.  
  
"It's not my problem that you're the hanyou with the superhuman strength!"  
  
"That's because I'm not human!"  
  
HONK! HONK!  
  
"We're coming!!!"  
  
Five minutes later found the two inside Eri's car. Here's the seating arrangement: Eri in the driver seat, Yuka in the passenger seat, and in the backseat from left to right was Ayame, Kagome, and Inuyasha.   
  
Inuyasha was getting irritated. He was trying to avoid looking at Eri and Yuka who was simply staring at him, even drooling quite a bit. Meanwhile, Ayame leaned towards Kagome to ask her something while keeping an eye on the hanyou as well.  
  
"Kagome, this isn't the same selfish, arrogant, violent two-timer, is he?" whispered Ayame. Of course with Inuyasha good hearing, he heard everything. 'That's how Kagome thinks of me?' thought Inuyasha.  
  
"..."  
  
"You mean this is the guy?!" asked Eri.  
  
"..."  
  
"So what's your name?" Yuka asks the hanyou.  
  
"Inuyasha."  
  
"That's a weird name..." commented Eri.  
  
"It means 'dog-demon', doesn't it?" asked Ayame.  
  
"Is it a nickname?" asked Yuka.  
  
"..."  
  
"Anou... you guys. Shouldn't we be heading for the beach right now?" asked Kagome. From the corner of her eye, she could see a pretty large vein that was about to pop on Inuyasha's temple.  
  
"That's right! We're late!" Inuyasha sighed inwardly with relief. However, none of the three girls were about to let him go yet.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
Shimatta - damn it  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: Alright! Today is the last day of class! Of course, that doesn't mean that it's completely over. Still have finals to deal with... *sigh* FF.net has been having problems lately, which is why I'd delayed this chapter a little longer than usual. And I'm in a fic! Read the dialogue below for more info! =D  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Gray - Hey, it's my fic. I get to do whatever I want! Besides, it being in English, I just couldn't help it. I know that it probably wouldn't have happened if it was said in Japanese since then it would be different from 'osuwari'. So let it slide just for the first chappie, alright?  
  
AnglicFairy - Yep, there will always be sympathy for Kagome...*points* Look, the doggy went home!  
  
Higurashi Kagome - I'll try and it's definitely not Sango. Although I haven't seen any San/Inu fics yet... =\  
  
Ericedwyn - You like it! You really like it!!! I found Mrs. Higurashi's character to be a bit mysterious and many fics simply make one up for her, so I did likewise!   
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Inuyasha - Yep, you're definitely losing readers here. Only four people!  
  
Nankinmai - It's all FF.net's fault!  
  
Inuyasha - Sure it is...  
  
Nankinmai - Oh yeah, there's a fanfic out there with me in the story!!!  
  
Inuyasha - NANI!?!?  
  
Nankinmai - You don't believe me?  
  
Inuyasha - Iie.  
  
Nankinmai - Fine! Just go read it then! Hmph!  
  
Kagome - So where is it?  
  
Nankinmai - The end of the address is storyid=1263907, but I don't show up till later.  
  
Inuyasha - Keh! Figures...  
  
Nankinmai - Hey! At least I'm not the one who- Opps, better not tell...  
  
Inuyasha - Tell me wench!  
  
Nankinmai - Iie! You'll have to ask Leeta, the author!  
  
Inuyasha - Keh! I'll just beat it out of her...  
  
Nankinmai - I don't think so! *grins*  
  
Kagome - I'm curious as to what the fic is about now...  
  
Nankinmai - Then go read! Ja ne, minna-san!!!  
  
Inuyasha - Keh! 


	11. Slow As A Newborn Pup

Disclaimer: Don't own Inuyasha, nope, nope, nope...   
  
A/N: Fanfiction.net seems to be having some problems lately... Wonder when it'll be back to normal again... =/  
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 11 - Slow As A Newborn Pup  
  
The afternoon sun found five teenagers standing on the boardwalk in front of the beach. Yuka and Ayame were wearing shorts and tank tops while Eri and Kagome were wearing summer dresses. Inuyasha was wearing some casual shorts with a printed t-shirt and a cap to match, although he still looked pretty good. 'It's a good thing Mama had bought Inuyasha some clothes during the week. Although it did take him a while to dress right before we left,' thought Kagome as she turned her gaze from the hanyou to the beach.   
  
"It's so beautiful!" exclaimed Kagome.   
  
"Keh!"  
  
"You know, you can say what you're really thinking," said the miko.  
  
"And what if I don't feel like it, eh?" retorted Inuyasha.  
  
"Oh, never mind."  
  
"Kagome! Over here!" shouted Eri. Kagome and Inuyasha walked away from the boardwalk and towards her friends.  
  
"We decided that we definitely want this to be an overnight trip now. Is that okay?" asked Yuka.  
  
"Hmm, I better call my mother and ask first."  
  
"Alright, there should be a pay phone inside a hotel."  
  
~*~~*~~*~ Five minutes later ~*~~*~~*~  
  
"Mama said it was alright. I suppose it's a good thing that I had packed extra," said Kagome. The four of them were waiting in the lobby of a nearby hotel while Ayame was trying to get at least two rooms, one for the girls and one for Inuyasha.  
  
"You mean that's why your pack was so heavy?" asked Inuyasha.  
  
"Of course. You should know by now that I usually pack extra, just in case." At Kagome's statement, Yuka and Eri looked curiously at each other. 'What did she mean by that?'  
  
"Keh!" At that moment, Ayame walked back to the group with a face that was mixed with disappointment and happiness.  
  
"Alright. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that there was room left for us-"  
  
"Yeah!" cheered the three girls.  
  
"However, they have only one room left-"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"And I took it," said Ayame, finally able to finish what she was saying.   
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Why didn't we just go to another hotel?" asked Kagome.  
  
"Because this was the only hotel left that had even one room left that's within walking distance of the beach," explained Ayame.  
  
"..."  
  
"So we'll just have to figure something out once we've seen how the room is." Ayame turned when she heard Inuyasha picking up everybody's bags. As he stood up, he found all four girls staring curiously at him.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for? Unless you girls feel like sleeping outside in the cold," said the irritated hanyou. Soon, everybody was following the bellboy to their room on the top floor. When the bellboy opened the door to their room, all the girls could only stare for a moment. As they all walked inside, everything was confirmed. At the corner of the room was a queen size bed that could possibly fit all four girls. There were a few seating chairs in another corner, but none looked too comfortable to sleep in.   
  
"Maybe we can get a cot or a futon in here for Inuyasha," suggested Yuka.  
  
"I'm afraid we're all out. Now... Ahem," said the bellboy, while clearing rubbing two fingers together.  
  
"Oh! Here you go," said Kagome as she tipped the bellboy. At that, he walked out and closed the door. Once again, the girls looked curiously at Inuyasha, who simply shrugged.  
  
"I'll sleep on the floor." Three girls looked at Kagome who shrugged as well.  
  
"He's used to it," explained the miko. The three girls looked at each other again. 'Kagome is that mean to let him do that?'  
  
"Anou, Inuyasha. You can take your cap off now," said Eri, noticing it was still on.   
  
"I'll keep it on if I feel like it."  
  
"..."  
  
"How about we get unpack so we can head straight for the beach?" suggested Kagome.  
  
"Sure," agreed all three girls.  
  
~*~~*~~*~ Half an hour later ~*~~*~~*~  
  
"Come on, Inuyasha! Hurry up!" shouted Kagome as she ran across the beach. However, the hanyou was too busy staring at the miko to walk any faster. 'Kami, she's beautiful wearing that... swimsuit, was it?' thought Inuyasha. He was staring at Kagome's light blue one piece, barely conscious of his own unusual bareness, wearing only the red swimming trunks. In fact, he didn't even noticed that Kagome's friends were also wearing their own swimsuits, playing with each other some ways from the couple, wanting to give them some time alone.   
  
"Stop being such a slowpoke!" shouted Kagome. 'What's that?' thought Inuyasha. Seeing the hanyou's confused face, Kagome tried something else.   
  
"Stop being a lazy cat!" Inuyasha frowned.  
  
"Stop stumbling as slow as a newborn pup!" That got Inuyasha's attention. Before Kagome knew it, the irritated hanyou was standing right in front of her.  
  
"What were you saying, wench?" said Inuyasha through his gritted teeth.  
  
"Only something to make you catch up! See?" pointed out Kagome, while smiling.  
  
"Urk!" Inuyasha backed away a step. "So what? You shouldn't have called me a pup!"  
  
"Gomen! You know I didn't really mean it right?"  
  
"Keh!" But of course, Inuyasha was to busy facing away with his arms folded to noticed that Kagome's smile widened or her hands moving towards his. Right when her fingers were close enough to graze his fingertips tucked underneath his arms, she heard somebody yelled out her name.  
  
"Kagome!" She snatched her hand back, unnoticed by Inuyasha who was too busy growling at the owner of the voice. She turned to find Hojo running towards her.  
  
"Hobo..." growled Inuyasha, barring his fangs.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
Kami - god  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: I slept in today, so I couldn't post this as early as I wanted too! And then I took some more time for read the newest chapters of some stories! Gomen! And just to let you know, everything since the presents exchange was typed up from the top of my head, so I'm not sure how much longer this'll be! But stay tuned! ^_^  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Demon Girl - Arigato for noticing that! It wasn't till then that I didn't put up any descriptions at all. Hope this chapter did it!  
  
Bunny - You're still alive!!! [^_^] Such high praises... *sniff* I'm not worthy... Oooo, I would like that indeed! Heh...  
  
Ame Tenshi - Uhh... Some time ago? And I agree, ff.net is a stupid thing... And what other kind of fics are out there? I know the common ones are Inu/Kag and Ses/Kag. Currently reading a Ship/Kag... I know there's some Rin/Ses... Think I spotted a Mir/Kag and Ses/Inu once... *shudders*  
  
Higurashi Kagome - Kawaii? Honto? Honto? Really??? *grins* And definitely no lemon. I'm old enough to write it but prefer not to... Not even sure how I would write it anyway. *shrugs* Hmm, your birthday has already passed... *smiles* Heheheh...  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Inuyasha - Why did Hobo had to appear???  
  
Hojo - Anou, my name is Hojo.  
  
Inuyasha - So what!?  
  
Kagome - Inuyasha!  
  
Inuyasha - Urk!  
  
Nankinmai - Gomen, Inuyasha, but there were some people who wanted to know about whether Hojo will appear or not. Besides, what kind of story would this be with our beloved Hojo?  
  
Inuyasha - Easy! One of just Kagome and me!  
  
Kagome - Eh?  
  
Eri, Ayame, Yuka - What about us???  
  
Inuyasha - Umm... Keh! I'm leaving! *dashes off*   
  
Everybody else - Oi! *chases after Inuyasha*  
  
Nankinmai - *looks around* Ja ne? 


	12. What About Him?

Disclaimer: No claims on the hanyou... *sigh*   
  
A/N: I'm back!!! Two finals are over! Time to take a break before I start studying to the last one... Eheheh... ^_^;  
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 12 - What About Him?  
  
It was a beautiful afternoon. The sun was finally getting to its hottest times of the day. People were having fun on the beach. The two young people nearby were about to too, until...  
  
"Hobo..." Inuyasha growled deeper this time.  
  
"Inuyasha, Hojo is a friend of mine, so there's no reason for you to go growling like that," said Kagome, trying to calm him down.  
  
"Keh!" Kagome looked curiously at Inuyasha and thought, 'Is he jealous?' Meanwhile, Hojo finally approached her with a bright smile.  
  
"Kagome! I see that your health has improved enough for you to be able to go to the beach," said Hojo.  
  
"Eh heh heh," said Kagome with a sigh. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Inuyasha had raised a brow at Hojo's comment.  
  
"You know, I spotted a shaved ice booth on the way here. Would you like some?" asked Hojo, while reaching for Kagome's hand. Inuyasha noticed this and started to growl softly, but loud enough for Kagome to hear. She turned around to say something to the hanyou when she felt Hojo grabbed her hand and smiled.  
  
"Come on. It'll cool you down in this heat," Hojo said with a brighter smile, seemingly oblivious of Inuyasha and his growls. 'Who does this Hobo think he is?!' thought Inuyasha between his growls.  
  
"Uh..." Kagome tried to come up with an excuse, and for once wishing her grandfather was there, when her three friends pop up out of nowhere right in front of the human boy.  
  
"Come on, Hojo. You can treat the three of us to some of that shaved ice you mentioned," said Eri, while turning the boy around.  
  
"But what about Kagome?" asked Hojo, trying to turn back around in resistance.  
  
"Right now she wants some time alone," replied Yuka who started to push him.  
  
"Then what about that weird guy?" inquired Hojo, finally acknowledging the hanyou's existence. All four girls was amaze to be able to notice the large vein that was about to pop underneath the hanyou's cap. He even had a menacing glare on his face. The three friends looked at each other and nodded before grabbing Hojo by the arms and ran away.  
  
Kagome turned to face a now smirking Inuyasha and sighed. 'I guess they're going to believe that he's violent now. Or at least that he has a very short temper,' thought Kagome as she placed a hand on his chest unconsciously. She felt Inuyasha stiffen underneath her touch before realizing where her hand was. She quickly withdrew her hand and suddenly became interested in the sand she was standing on. Quickly, her face reddened with several shades of red.   
  
Inuyasha silently took in a deep breath and gathered up his courage. As Kagome was too busy with the sand, she didn't notice the hanyou's hand moving. She was quite surprise to find someone grabbing her hands for the second time. Even more so when she found that the hand belonged to Inuyasha. She looked up only to find Inuyasha looking away, but not enough since she noticed a hint of blush on his face. She smiled as she clasped her fingers around the hand that was already holding hers. Inuyasha looked down at the smiling face before walking towards the water.  
  
Kagome allowed herself to be gently tugged towards the ocean, where the water's reflection of the bright sunlight practically blinded her. Inuyasha took noticed and walked so that this body blocked the intense light from her eyes. She was grateful and slightly tightened her grip on his hands in appreciation. Inuyasha did the same as they slowly reached the water before breaking the peace by splashing each other with the ocean's cool salty water.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: Gomenasai!!! I know this chapter is the shortest yet, but I had to leave it there. Gonna sleep early for once, or as early as I can get. (Currently midnight...) To make it up, I'll try to get another chapter up before I start studying for the last final, and it'll definitely be longer than this one!  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Kitten Kisses - Glad you're happy!  
  
Ms. Prongs - Hmm... Too many evil things in this world... And thanks for the poem! It did cheer me up, especially since I read it right after I got back from my first final.  
  
Bunny - Thanks! Wanna blow up all educational institutes to stop this evil??? Still thinking about how to end it... Should Miroku know about the beach or not, that is the question...  
  
Para - People have mysterious minds... I merely make them up!  
  
Rikku_ja - Happy belated birthday! Be careful when driving!!!  
  
Miaka Kiri - Err, been too lazy to look it up, but what's "Ganbate ne"?  
  
Higurashi Kagome - Yes, computers have been giving me issues also... It's been lagging too much lately and I think my roommate was about to beat her laptop up...  
  
Chris-Redfield26 - Where's the pom poms? I wanna throw them in Hobo's face!  
  
Ame Tenshi - Hey! Where did you go???  
  
Demon Girl - Is there anybody in this world who likes Hobo???  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Nankinmai - Zzzzzzz...  
  
Inuyasha - Keh! She's already asleep!  
  
Kagome - Shh! Don't wake her up! Ja ne! 


	13. A Night on the Beach

Disclaimer: Inuyasha? Inuyasha? He's not mine...   
  
A/N: I said there's gonna be another one, so here it is! But since I had replaced the author's note with the actual Chapter 12, most of you now are reading both chapters, right? Read the author's note at the end!!!  
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 13 - A Night on the Beach  
  
People who still have lots of energy were having a bonfire underneath the waning half moon. However, the moon was too busy looking through a certain hotel window where it had a clear view of a sleeping couple. Inuyasha was sitting on the floor leaning against the bed while Kagome was curled up on the floor using the hanyou's lap as a pillow.   
  
A slight breeze of the wind caused Kagome to curl up more for warmth and gave a slight moan. Keeping his eyes closed, Inuyasha gave his ears a twitch before snatching the covers off the bed to cover up the girl. As soon as she warmed up, Inuyasha felt Kagome relaxed and fall into deeper sleep. Inuyasha gave a slight grin before starting to fall back asleep himself. Unfortunately, he heard three pairs of footsteps and the door opening. He opened his eyes slowly to see Ayame being the first one to step through the door.  
  
"Ka-"  
  
"Shh, she's sleeping," whispered Inuyasha while pointed to the bundle on his lap.  
  
"Gomen. There's a bonfire outside and we just thought you two would like to come. But if she's sleeping, we'll leave you alone," said Eri. As the girls were about to leave, Kagome gave a moan that she was waking up. As she sat up and rubbed her eyes awake, Inuyasha thought, 'Well, so much for that.'  
  
"Somebody said something about something?" asked Kagome, looking from a disappointed Inuyasha to her giggling friends. Inuyasha gave a slight sigh before replying.  
  
"Eri said there was a bonfire outside. Interested?"  
  
"Sure," said Kagome as she stood up, half wanting to go and half wanting to stay with Inuyasha. After Kagome was ready, all five walked out to where the bonfire was. They spotted a band playing some popular music that Inuyasha found had quite a beat to it. There were already a lot of people near the bonfire dancing to the music. It wasn't long before the three girls lost all patience. They ran towards the crowd and started dancing with everybody, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha to sit down at a log not far from the makeshift dance floor. There was silence between the two before Inuyasha spoke up.  
  
"Are they dancing?" asked the hanyou.  
  
"Yeah. Did you want to?" asked the curious miko.  
  
"Iie, I can't dance like that," replied Inuyasha, noticing one girl who seems to be able to wiggle her hip a lot. 'Nope, definitely can't do that,' thought Inuyasha. Suddenly, Kagome felt Inuyasha stiffened.  
  
"What is it?" asked the miko while thinking, 'There can't be any demons around here, can there?'  
  
"Kagome!" A familiar voice reached the two.  
  
"Oh, no," said the disappointed Kagome, watching Hojo trying to get through the dancing crowd to where she was.  
  
"Come on, let's get out of here," said Inuyasha, pulling Kagome onto his back. As soon as he made sure she was secure on tight, he speed along the beach, leaving behind a trail of flying sand. He didn't really care if anybody saw him, as long as Hobo wasn't anywhere nearby.  
  
His view blocked by the crowd, Hojo didn't witness the speeding hanyou. So when he was finally able to reach the log where the couple had sat, he could only look around for Kagome. 'Where could she have gone? Surely not with that weird guy?' thought Hojo. After a while of looking for her, Ayame, Eri, and Yuka dragged Hojo onto the dancing floor.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Inuyasha sped down the beach and didn't stop until he noticed this part of the beach was deserted. Finally slowing down, he stopped and let Kagome off his back. She sat down on the sand and Inuyasha followed suit. They sat in silence for a long while, simply watching the waves trying to roll to where they legs were stretched out, only to fall back into the ocean. The glittering stars above laughed at the waves for its feeble attempts while the quarter moon tried to scold the stars for being so mean. Kagome giggled at her imagination, only to have the hanyou look curiously down at her.  
  
"What's so funny?" asked Inuyasha.  
  
"Nothing that my imagination haven't run away with," replied Kagome with a slight smile, only to shiver at the sudden cold breeze. Not having any extra clothes to offer her, Inuyasha scooted closer to Kagome and wrap his arm around her waist for warmth. Blushing slightly, she leaned her head onto his shoulders. They avoided each other's eyes, being content on simply watching the waves trying to roll closer.  
  
A sudden burst of fireworks in the glittering sky caught their attention. They looked up to see many colorful fireworks displaying their beautiful colors. Inuyasha looked down at the girl next to him, wanting to know what they were. However, seeing the excited look on her face, he decided not to.  
  
Noticing Inuyasha's stare, Kagome turned her head away from the fireworks display to look curiously at the hanyou. Pretty soon, she was absorbed into the deep amber eyes. Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. Startled for a second, Inuyasha returned it with such gentleness that it was Kagome's turn to be surprised.   
  
As the fireworks faded away into the stars, the two reluctantly parted in order to catch their breath. They smiled at each other, blushing a bit, before Inuyasha stood and helped Kagome up. Taking her hand, they slowly walked back to the bonfire, only to find everyone gone. So they turn around and walk back to the hotel.  
  
Inuyasha opened the door for Kagome when they reached their room. Already asleep on the bed were three exhausted girls. As quietly as they could, the two took their turns getting ready for sleep. Although, Inuyasha required a little bit of help trying to figure everything out in the bathroom. The hanyou settled down on the floor, leaning on the bed like he had done earlier in the afternoon. He closed his eyes and was about to drift to sleep until he felt Kagome sat down besides him and leaned onto his shoulders as a pillow. Grabbing the sheet the girls had dropped onto the floor, he wrapped Kagome with it and had his arm around her waist again. He took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the girl who had already fallen asleep as soon as she sat down. Smiling slightly, he sighed and drifted to sleep again.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
At the bottom of the shrine steps, he quietly watched Kagome said goodbye to her friends before they drove off. Then taking her hands, they slowly ascended the many steps towards the shrine. Meanwhile, Inuyasha let his mind wander as he reflected what happened.  
  
~*~~*~~*~ Flashback starts ~*~~*~~*~  
  
He had woken up to the sound of several girls giggling, trying to stifle the sound under their hands. Ignoring them, he kept his eyes closed and hugged Kagome tighter into his embrace. Unfortunately, the girls noticed this movement and giggled even more. This woke Kagome up who found her friends clutching their stomachs in laughter and a pissed hanyou.  
  
Time seemed to have passed by really quickly for the rest of the day. Inuyasha and Kagome went back to their game of splashing each other with the ocean water to cool off while the three girls went off on their own again. Hojo tried to approach Kagome, only to be stopped by a bunch of toddlers who wanted to bury him in the sand. The toddlers won and forgot all about him as soon as they were done. As Hojo tried to call for help, Inuyasha found a dead fish floating near by. Grabbing it, he flung it to land on top of Hojo's face. The boy screamed out loud, not knowing what it was.   
  
Inuyasha fell down into the shallow water laughing a little too hard. Kagome looked from Inuyasha to Hojo. She was about to scold him, but ended up laughing as well. Hearing her laugh, Inuyasha pulled Kagome down to him and gave her a quick peck on the lips. She blushed before standing up and pushing his head down into the water. She ran off, leaving the hanyou to chase after her.  
  
~*~~*~~*~ Flashback ends ~*~~*~~*~  
  
'Yep, it sure was great,' though Inuyasha. 'Boy, am I glad Kagome got me those trunks as my present.' He looked down to find a smiling Kagome looking up at him. Her birthday necklace around her neck reflected a ray of sunlight into Inuyasha's eyes. 'She never did take off that necklace the whole time.' He smiled at this thought as they finally reached the top of the shrine.  
  
When they reached her house, Kagome went straight up to her room to change some supplies in her backpack. After getting a positive response about the beach, Mrs. Higurashi handed five boxes of ramen to Inuyasha. Kagome came down and gave her mother a hug before announcing that she was leaving. She ran out of the door, followed by a very happy Inuyasha. They smiled at each other as Kagome jumped into the Bone-Eaters Well first and Inuyasha followed right behind her.  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: Wow, I wrote a lot this time. Mainly paragraphs with very little dialogue... Well, hoped you liked it! We had some fluff and Hobo bashing! Not really, but you know what I mean, right? I'm currently debating with myself whether this should be the last chapter or not. There will definitely be any more events happening. If anything, maybe one more chapter as an epilogue with Miroku! Let me know what you think! Review please!!!  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
DemonChic - Thank you! I've gotten so many cuteness!!!  
  
Usagi Kou - Thank you! Think my ego will burst anytime soon?  
  
(Shoot, not many reviews... This is what I get for replacing the author's note with Chapter 12, isn't it?)  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Kagome - Are you going to continue writing in the future?  
  
Nankinmai - I'm thinking about it. I have a few ideas, although some aren't really original. More like my versions of it.   
  
Inuyasha - Keh! Thought so!  
  
Nankinmai - However! I have all of spring break to try something to think of something good. So if I come up with anything, I'll try to start on it and probably won't post it until Spring Quarter starts.  
  
Shippou - Am I going to be in it?  
  
Nankinmai - We'll see.  
  
Sesshoumaru - And me?  
  
Nankinmai - Umm...  
  
Naraku - What about me?  
  
Inuyasha - You bastard. Get out of here!  
  
Nankinmai - This is giving me a headache... And I still have to study for my Calculus final...  
  
Kagome - You poor thing. Good luck on it! Ja ne, minna-san!  
  
Inuyasha - Not you, Naraku! I still have some unfinished business with you!  
  
Naraku - Kukuku.... 


	14. Epilogue

Disclaimer: No rights whatsoever to Inuyasha... *sigh*  
  
A/N: I'm back! Finals are over, Spring Break has started and I'm back home!!! Yeah!!! This is officially the end of this story, so I hope all you readers out there have enjoyed everything and may I see everybody back again at one time or another!!!  
  
Happy Birthday!  
  
by Nankinmai  
  
Chapter 14 - Epilogue  
  
It was a beautiful sunset behind the mountains. As the sun slowly hid itself for the night, it watched a small group sitting at the edge of a well's clearing. A bored kitsune was between two humans, one looking very wary while the other look extremely disappointed.  
  
"Lady Sango, I assure you that I will not do any of such deeds," said the monk.  
  
"Shippou, just stay where you are and make sure the leach doesn't try anything, alright?" Sango asked while looking down at the kitsune. She gave him one of her best smiles.  
  
"Hai, hai," sighed Shippou. He shot a glare towards the monk who could only sigh deeply.  
  
"Really, I find this mistrust to be impossible," said Miroku while shifting his staff so his free hand could steadily inch towards the taijiya.  
  
"Houshi-sama, with you around, nothing is impossible," replied Sango while making sure her Hiraikotsu was within easy reach.  
  
"Why can't you two act more like Inuyasha and Kagome sometimes?" asked the curious Shippou, looking back and forth between the two humans.  
  
"You mean you would like me to insult Lady Sango at almost everything she does when I know that she's doing it just for me?" asked Miroku.  
  
"And you want me to have a broken heart while Miroku chases after his ex-girlfriend whenever she's nearby, all because of a promise he made before almost being pulled down to hell?" inquired Sango.  
  
"So this is how you think of us?" an irritated male voice shouted. Everybody looked up to see Inuyasha jumping out of the well with his hands full. He set his packages down before leaning down the well to pull Kagome out with her huge, yellow backpack.  
  
"I'm surprised at you two," said Kagome while putting her hands on her hip. Both Miroku and Sango gave Shippou a look that said Why-didn't-you-smell-them-before-they-heard-everything. The kitsune only shrugged.  
  
"I was too busy listening to you two," replied Shippou. "Although, I think your answers were pretty close to what I thought also."  
  
"All three of you think I was that inconsiderate?" asked Inuyasha, making sure to enunciate the last word loudly.  
  
"And that I was that depressed?" Kagome asked, trying to feign innocence. There was a long silence before Miroku realized what they said.  
  
"Was?" the monk asked, catching Sango's and Shippou's undivided attention towards the couple near the well. Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other for a while before smiling brightly at the same time. Inuyasha reached for her hand and she hold onto his. As they turned towards their friends, Kagome leaned onto Inuyasha's side.  
  
Both humans and the little youkai sat completely still, oblivious that they've been staring at the couple for a few minutes already with their mouths wide open. It wasn't until a butterfly landed on Shippou's nose, thus tickling him, did any one of them moved.  
  
Sango was the first to leave the edge of the clearing to run towards her best friend. Kagome released Inuyasha's hand reluctantly before she was tackled by Sango's hug. Miroku got up and slowly walked towards the hanyou. He patted him on the shoulders in congratulations before Shippou hopped onto Inuyasha's head.  
  
"I'm so happy for you, Kagome!" exclaimed Sango, practically jumping up and down for her friend's happiness. Kagome sweatdropped a bit but appreciated her friend's excitement.  
  
"Inuyasha, I hope your intensions towards Kagome-sama are pure and honorable," Miroku said with a slight grin.  
  
"Why, you hentai! Stop thinking such lecherous thoughts!" yelled the hanyou, giving the poor monk a pounding on the head.  
  
"Does this mean that you're gonna be like my otou-san now?" asked Shippou, looking down at Inuyasha's face from the top of his head.  
  
"Urk!" Inuyasha's foot slipped under him at the kitsune's question. Kagome reached over to pick up and hug Shippou in her arms.  
  
"Iie, Shippou. That won't happen for a while," explained the miko while smiling warmly at him.  
  
"Then when will it?" he asked innocently. Kagome paused to think but was interrupted.  
  
"When she officially becomes my mate," replied Inuyasha, who had gotten up already, kissing Kagome lightly on the cheek. Sango and Miroku gaped at the hanyou's actions, not believing that he had actually did that in the open. Meanwhile, Shippou frowned at his actions.  
  
"Ew, you two won't be doing that all the time, would you?" Shippou asked with his little noise all scrunched up, like he just smelled something really nasty. Kagome chuckled and looked up to the hanyou's face. However, at hearing his stomach growled in hunger, she looked down at it instead. Inuyasha shrugged before walking to open a box of his ramen. Shippou noticed and jumped happily towards him. Sango looked over at the monk who nodded and both headed towards the now irritated hanyou. Kagome heard Inuyasha telling the others to back off from his ramen and Shippous exclaiming at how many there is.   
  
The miko smiled as she became lost in thought. In her mind, she could see many possible glimpses of the future. Many of them were of happy times with a few that Shippou would definitely disapprove of. Remembering his earlier question, she answered quietly even though nobody would hear her.  
  
"We'll see, Shippou. We'll see..."  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Japanese terms: (See earlier chapters for other terms.)  
  
Taijiya - demon hunter/huntress  
  
Houshi-sama - respectful name for monk  
  
Kitsune - fox demon (forgot to add in earlier chapters)  
  
Youkai - demon  
  
Sama - lady/lord, or very formal misses/mister  
  
Hentai - pervert  
  
Otou-san - father (formal, I think)  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: Spring break is over! No!!!!!! Well, I took my sweet time with this last chapter, but as for coming up with a new story... I couldn't come up with anything original enough... It would just be my version of things, but there's already too many to those kind of stories... *sigh* So don't expect to see me again any time soon... Guess I'll stick back to reading fics again!  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
A/N: This is usually where I add some kind of comment to all my reviewers, but since there was so many (Thank you so much!), I've decided to add an author's note later on...If I'm lucky, there might even be a teaser for my new story, but its doubtful... =\  
  
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
Nankinmai - Yahoo! It's done!  
  
Inuyasha - Keh! I'm finally rid of you!  
  
Nankinmai - Hopefully not for long though! *evil grin*  
  
Inuyasha - Urk!  
  
Kagome - You never really do learn...  
  
Inuyasha - What was that, wench?!?  
  
Kouga - How dare you speak to my woman that way?  
  
Inuyasha - Shut up, you wimpy-wolf!  
  
Kouga - Why don't you, dog-turd!  
  
Miroku - Why can't you both do the same?  
  
Sango - Why am I here?  
  
Sesshoumaru - I would like to know that as well...  
  
Shippou - At least Naraku isn't here!  
  
Naraku - Somebody called my name?  
  
Everybody else - Get out of here!!!  
  
Kaede - *sigh* Ja ne! 


End file.
